The terminology here sorts fast capital ships by role before weighing the Lexingtons against the Colorados. A 'battle cruiser' in two-word usage carries battleship-grade guns for the cruiser and scouting role, including defeating ordinary cruisers. A hyphenated or single-word 'battlecruiser' moves closer to fighting its own type, while a fast battleship remains a battleship that accepts some protection trade-off for speed. A conventional battleship sits nearest the centre of the armour-firepower-speed balance. This spectrum turns the Lexington choice into a capability-mix question rather than a simple contest of gun calibre or armour.
Notable Point · 1:04:19-1:05:54
From battle cruiser to fast battleship
A role-based spectrum runs from a battleship-gunned cruiser through a ship intended to fight battlecruisers to a fast battleship.